I’ve Finally Made It

I Was Interviewed By Someone Famous Yesterday

My First Interview as a Writer Was Badass

Well, it finally happened. After 850 Medium blogs written, 30,000 followers, 78 Top Writer Awards, and far too much hair product and makeup, I can finally be proud. I’ve made it.

I was interviewed by somebody famous yesterday.

I actually come from a long line of Provencios who have been interviewed by somebody famous. Well, a line. Okay, one other Provencio before me was. And the funny thing is, I was on TV for that interview, too.

My mother and father lived in the Los Angeles area when I was born. They met at a bowling alley back in the early 70s. My father, in his infinite wisdom and charm, kept purposely knocking my mother’s elbow off the small table they shared as a sign of flirtation while bowling in two lanes next to each other and their friends.

I get it, Ma. Nothing says, “50 Years of Marriage Later…” like a hooligan attempting to flirt with you by being annoying. Not a lot has changed, actually. But thank you for knockin’ boots shortly thereafter. The Godfather/Professor of Medium owes yous guys for his existence.

Speaking of bowling, my dad decided to give it a shot on a local gameshow “Bowling For Dollars”. He had a chance to bowl and he ended up getting a spare. He earned $20 for that and the right to be interviewed by Chick Hearn, the longtime broadcaster for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Chick asked my father what he did for a living, and he replied that he was a pastor. Then, according to legend, my dad picked me up, and I made my debut on camera, while he said the following:

“If God loves us as much as I love this little baby boy, that’s sure amazing.”

Chick paused, looked at my dad, then into the camera, and replied, “Ladies and Gentlemen, that’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.”

Jesus Brunswick, that’s a tough act to follow. But 48 years later, here we are, attempting to do so. But would I do well? Would I come off as polished, or as some clown who should have just stayed behind his keyboard, better to be read, but perhaps not seen or heard?

I think that’s a pretty normal concern when you haven’t been on TV since mere months after Nixon resigned as president of the United States. I might be a maestro of words, with the ability to publish two blogs a day likely until I’m in a retirement home, but that doesn’t mean I’ll do at all well in an interview. The possibility of fucking up is always imminent.

But hell, I was willing to try. Oh, who is this famous interviewer? Well hold on, I’m getting to that. Patience, now. Let’s just say it’s a close friend of mine who’s pretty damned famous, at least in their industry.

Dexter Holland, the lead singer of Offspring? No, but I did meet him after their show in Salt Lake City, and he was wonderful. C.C. Deville, lead guitarist of the band Poison? No, but he was a hoot. It was my pleasure buying him a triple cognac after their show and bullshitting with him for a bit. Batman himself, Adam West? No, though we met in 1998 when I sold him shoes, but he has sadly since passed on.

So who is my famous friend that I granted all-access, VIP video-filming rights to the Godfather of Medium for just under an hour? She’s much cooler than all three of those fellas put together. In a Candian-sort of way.

It’s none other than Robin Wilding 💎, one of the funniest people on Medium. She’s followed by over 16,500 people between her main profile and her Coach Robin 🫠page. Robin is a gem, and I theorize, possibly my long-lost Canadian sister.

My dad traveled for work in the 70s and 80s at times. I often wonder if he met Robin and Claire Franky’s mothers at some point during his business trips. Because those two ladies are pretty much the female versions of me and my writing. I love them both to pieces.

I call my sis “Robin Sparkles” from time to time, based on the Canadian character from the hit TV series, “How I Met Your Mother”. She laughs at that and says that in order for her to actually be Robin Sparkles, she’d have to get Kendra Sparkles to leave her husband and then marry her. Could you imagine the laughter in THAT household?

Sorry, Mr. Sparkles. Maybe y’all move to Utah to give it a real go? Big Love…

Anywho, when Robin started her YouTube channel, I was impressed. It’s not easy to learn something brand new and do it well. Plus it’s funny as hell, because she is. She’s made a number of videos about Medium writing and covered some how-to topics.

She’s also interviewed a couple of us from the platform, now. Amethysta was her first interview and it was wonderful. I love her writing and their interview was awesome to watch.

I had a few reservations about doing an interview/video chat that would be seen on a channel. What if I looked the wrong direction? What if one eye went one way, and the other, another while trying to follow the camera. I’d end up looking like Steve Buscemi in Mr. Deeds.

And then there’s the audio aspect. If you’re not used to hearing your own voice in a video, tell me it isn’t super cringe when you hear yourself talk. And god forbid, SEEING your facial expressions, the looks away from the camera, and drinking water in the middle of the thing. I remember thinking, “I don’t deserve to breathe air” after watching the first few minutes of the interview.

And damn, I hope I didn’t scratch my balls.

Ok, enough of the funny stuff. I’m guessing that some of you want to watch this video. It’s actually better than I’m describing, mainly because Robin is a wonderful host and knows her stuff. She made me feel at ease and I quit worrying once I got into the swing of things.

Plus we’re best buds. As I mention in the interview, she’s one of the few people on Medium who could tell me to quit being a little bitch about something and just get it done. We’ve had that exact conversation before. So chatting with her during the interview was more like shooting the shit with your BFF than an actual interview.

Anyway, here’s the link to it. Please subscribe to Robin’s YouTube Channel and give her videos a like. Leave a comment, if you could. I’d appreciate it and I know she would, as well. Thanks Everyone! &:^)

Here’s where to find all of Robin’s badass, funny videos. Cool people subscribe. I did. You should, too. Thank you!

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